How smart brands outrank competitors by optimizing this score

Google ranks your store before they rank your ads.

There’s a metric that’s silently determining your Shopping Ads performance.

Yet most brands we talk to don’t even realize it exists—or how much it’s holding them back.

It’s called the Shopping Experience Scorecard.

Google’s top goal is to protect their users.

They want every click to feel safe, seamless, and reliable.

This is their rating of how well you treat your customers.

This measures how effectively you serve your customers.

And the better experience you deliver, the more Google rewards your site.

This score directly impacts everything.

• Where your Shopping ads rank

• Whether promotions appear in Google’s tab

• Whether you get access to new Shopping features

In simple terms:

If your scores are weak, your Shopping Ads suffer.

You'll get less visibility. Competitors with worse ads and products will outrank you.

But if you nail it, Google will happily promote your ads and make you more money.

As a bonus, you'll also unlock the Top Quality Store badge.

This badge is a public stamp of trust. It instantly signals to shoppers that your brand is safe and reliable.

So how do you improve your score?

Go to "Google Merchant Center Next," check your "Store Quality" section, and nail each parameter:

• Store Rating

• Return experience

• Shipping experience

• Purchased Experience

• Browsing Experience

Google gives you a guideline for where you’re falling short and how to fix it.

It’s detailed, sure. And setting it up properly takes real work.

But it’s worth every second.

Play by Google’s rules—and you become one of the brands they want to promote.

You’re making the platform more money. You’re keeping their users happy.

And in return, they will reward you with better rankings, bigger reach, and higher profits.

Jackson

Founder and CEO of Echelonn.

How we can help:

• Get a free Google ads audit: For brands spending more than $20k/mo. or making over 1 million annually, we’ll identify the key bottlenecks in your account, and turn it into a free 90-day scaling plan. Click here.

• Get our E-commerce Growth Toolkit: Get access to our free resources and tools including the Product Feed & GMC Optimization Checklist, YouTube Shorts Ads Playbook, and 12 Plug-and-Play Dashboards. Click here.

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